Having seen countless "green tea" bitches, she knew the woman before her was truly one of a kind. It was no wonder Xuanyuan Ming regarded her as a priceless treasure! Honestly, even as a woman herself, she felt a flicker of admiration. She instructed Lian'er to serve tea to their guest, then mimicked Side Consort Qing’s tone.
"Sister, what are you saying? You coming to visit me shows the depth of our sisterhood. I am overjoyed; how could I ever blame you? To say such things makes it sound as though I usually despise my sisters in this estate!"
In her memories, the original owner had only ever insulted her verbally out of jealousy; she had never touched a single hair on her head. Yet, the woman had framed her, leading to the original owner's tragic end.
In such a marriage, she truly couldn't understand what the original owner was holding onto. Was she after his cruelty? His cold indifference? Or did she enjoy being abused?
After speaking, she hypocritically invited Side Consort Qing to take a seat. As she turned away, she missed the look of shock in the other woman's eyes.
The servants hadn't been lying to her; the Shen Qingyan of today was truly devoid of her former arrogance, and her entire demeanor had changed. Usually, she would have mocked the woman the moment she saw her, let alone invited her to sit or served her tea.
Shen Qingyan sat down. Looking up, she saw Side Consort Qing walking toward her with a gentle gait, feigning concern as she asked if her injuries were serious. Shen Qingyan lowered her eyes, contemplating the side consort's true intentions.
"Thank you for your concern, sister. This consort is quite well!"
If she wanted to stand, she could stay standing. Shen Qingyan struck a pose and lifted her teacup, blowing on the surface. Wisps of steam curled into the air, thick with the fragrance of tea.
Seeing the radiant face of Shen Qingyan, the jealousy on the side consort's face almost erupted. She was consumed with hate. She had served as a mere stepping stone for Shen Qingyan; that night was meant to be for her and the Prince... but instead, it had benefited this bitch, Shen Qingyan. How could she not hate her?
She smiled, her tone heavy with meaning: "The Prince really was too heavy-handed. There is still some swelling on your face, sister. I have some hibiscus ointment here for reducing swelling and relieving pain. Let me apply it for you..."
If you were truly kindhearted, why didn't you bring medicine when I was being beaten? Now that the wounds are almost healed, you finally show up.
A weasel paying respects to a hen—you’re clearly up to no good!
She pulled a round container of ointment from her sleeve. Seeing Shen Qingyan’s steady, piercing gaze, her beautiful eyes fluttered, and she retracted her hand. "Sister, you wouldn't think I’m clumsy, would you?"
Shen Qingyan playfully toyed with a hairpin. "Think you’re clumsy? Sister, what are you saying? With your noble status, how could I trouble you to apply medicine? Such menial tasks should be left to the servants. If you were to bump into anything here, the Prince would be heartbroken."
If she wanted to frame her, she’d have to see if she had the capability. Even if she couldn't see through the woman's schemes, avoiding contact should keep the filth from finding its way onto her.
Side Consort Qing hadn't expected this woman to refuse the bait. *Forget it, this is the only way now...*
This bitch had already gained the Prince’s favor. If she let this continue without putting a stop to it, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She would never, ever allow her to climb on top of her; she would never allow such a thing to happen.
A flash of murderous intent flickered in the woman’s eyes.
Side Consort Qing calculated the timing and walked over, engaging Shen Qingyan in a struggle. Shen Qingyan paused, then stood up just as she heard steady footsteps outside. Before she could process what was happening, Side Consort Qing collapsed to the floor in a display of victimhood, and the moment the man entered the room, he saw the entire scene.
Shen Qingyan: "..."
*Ha, how interesting.*
Shen Qingyan knew she had been framed again, but she hadn't expected Xuanyuan Ming to protect his woman to the point of being completely blind to reason.
"You bitch! You've hurt Qing'er again!"
He helped Side Consort Qing up, and she tearfully pulled at the man, explaining, "Prince, it’s my fault for being clumsy. I only wanted to help sister apply her medicine. Qing'er is so foolish... please, don't blame her..."
Shen Qingyan remained silent, raising an eyebrow. It was a pity this "white lotus" didn't perform on a stage; her acting skills were truly wasted.
Even when faced with Side Consort Qing's "well-meaning advice," Xuanyuan Ming could not suppress the rage surging within him.
Ignoring the side consort’s pleas, he strode over and slapped Shen Qingyan across her perfect face without mercy. Five fingerprints instantly burned onto her skin. She didn't dodge, standing frozen as the slap sent stars dancing before her eyes. The Divorce Decree fluttered from her sleeve and landed at the man’s feet.
The guards were keeping watch at the door; since the noise had been quite loud, they all knew exactly what had happened.
Shen Qingyan chuckled, unafraid of the man’s towering fury. She bent down and read the words on the white paper aloud, not missing a single character.
"Due to fundamental incompatibility, the couple can no longer live together. Their relationship has fractured beyond repair. Therefore, Shen Qingyan voluntarily divorces Prince Qin. From this point forward, the man may marry and the woman may wed, and they shall have no further claims on each other!"
After reading it, she handed the Divorce Decree to the man. "Prince, please take a look. If you have no objections, please press your thumbprint so that we may part ways amicably."
She smiled brilliantly, making the red thumbprint on the paper look exceptionally glaring.
Since the heavens had allowed her to be reborn, she would live for herself.
As the saying goes, when the heart is devoid of love, the sword becomes divine.
She still wanted to pursue the dreams she hadn't completed in her past life, and she couldn't allow herself to be buried here, stifling the ambitions she had always cherished.
Heiying and Zheng'er exchanged looks, as if they had just witnessed a bombshell revelation. They didn't believe Shen Qingyan truly wanted a divorce; in their eyes, this was just another one of her strategies.
Xuanyuan Ming looked at the woman in disbelief, sharing the sentiment of everyone present that this was just a ploy to capture his attention.
He grabbed her arm, his rage laced with malice. "Shen Qingyan, your clumsy performance is not getting any better! What do you think Prince Qin's Estate is? A place where you can come and go as you please? Don't try to shift the focus. If you don't kneel and apologize to Qing'er today, I will make you wish you were dead!"
His threats were laced with thorns. Shen Qingyan truly felt it was a pity for the original owner—what exactly was this thing called love?
The shock in Side Consort Qing's eyes was no less than the others; she hadn't expected Shen Qingyan to actually agree to a divorce. *Very well, that saves me the trouble of doing it myself.*
Shen Qingyan gave a disdainful laugh, shook off the man's hand, and stepped back. "Prince Qin, I, Shen Qingyan, voluntarily seek a divorce. Please sign and seal this!"
"Enough! Shen Qingyan, don't think you can act with impunity just because you are the Prince Qin's Consort appointed by the Emperor! You have targeted Qing'er time and again, and now you try to use a Divorce Decree as an excuse to deflect from your assault on her! I will say it one more time: kneel and apologize!"
"Apologize? Has your brain been squeezed by a door?" She looked at Xuanyuan Ming's liver-colored face, then shifted her tone and smiled. "Sign the papers quickly, and perhaps if I’m in a good mood, I’ll apologize to her!"
*If you sign and seal it promptly, I won't hesitate to wish you two a long and happy life together.*
*Divorcing is dragging on so slowly; what a hassle! If it weren't for wanting to speed up the process, I would have slapped him a few times just now.*
He couldn't believe that she would so easily discard the position of Prince Qin's Consort, which she had obtained through such schemes!
"I’ll grant your wish! Don't come crawling back, crying and begging me to let you stay!"
His tone was so confident, as if he were certain that the woman couldn't live without him.
The man walked swiftly to the desk and pressed his thumbprint onto the paper with a flourish. Lian'er was still in a state of utter confusion, and by the time she realized what had happened, it was already done.
"...Prince, Prince, the Consort really didn't harm Side Consort Qing. I beg you not to drive us away. How is my lady supposed to manage? She only acted on impulse! Please, Prince, retract your command, I will kowtow to you!"
The man stood with his hands behind his back, waiting arrogantly for the woman to humble herself and apologize. But he waited for a long time without seeing her kneel or back down.
After Shen Qingyan received the Divorce Decree from his hand, she happily began packing her luggage, her posture suggesting she couldn't wait to leave.
A sense of inexplicable irritability rose in the man’s chest. Why did he feel this way?
She finished packing quickly, carrying large bags and small ones, and even shoved a large bundle into Lian'er's arms.